Comprehensive Planning

"Comprehensive Planning for communities is like career or retirement planning for individuals: if you don’t set goals for your future and figure out a doable way to get from where you are today to where you want to be, you can be pretty well certain that you won’t get there." (Creating a Wise Economy 2010).

Estes Valley Comprehensive Plan

The Comprehensive Plan was jointly adopted in 1996 by the Town of Estes Park and Larimer County after extensive community outreach and input. Following adoption of the Comprehensive Plan, the Town and County jointly created the Estes Valley Development Code to implement the Comprehensive Plan, soliciting extensive public input.

The Town of Estes Park and Larimer County are planning the upcoming public process to rewrite the Estes Valley Comprehensive Plan, with the majority of the public process expected to occur in 2019 and 2020. The current Estes Valley Comprehensive Plan establishes land use, community design, growth management, mobility and circulation, housing, scenic and environmental quality, economy, and intergovernmental coordination policies for the Estes Valley. The Town and County share a goal of updating the current Comprehensive Plan with a new plan that includes 21st century goals and policies, drawing extensively from the ideas of community members. Useful elements in the existing plan may be retained or updated.

The Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee convenes with a primary goal of setting the framework for the process to help guide staff and the consultants hired to facilitate the process. The advisory committee consists of Town and County staff and elected officials. Members are Trustee Ron Norris (Chair), County Commissioner Tom Donnelly, Trustee Marie Cenac (Alternate), Planning Commissioner Robert Foster, Larimer County Planners Michael Whitley and Matt Lafferty, and Community Development Director Randy Hunt. The committee generally meets twice monthly, with meeting agendas posted here.

Next meeting: TBD at 3:30 p.m. in Room 202 of Town Hall. Residents are welcome to observe the meetings; time is reserved at the end of each meeting for public comments.

The Stanley Historic District Master Plan sets the vision for development within the 75 acres surrounding the Stanley Hotel. In addition to architectural standards for this area, protected view corridors are also established to ensure unique views of the Stanley Hotel are preserved for future generations.